Andrea Mota
Years in the program: Summer 2020- Spring 2021
Mentor: Dr. Olufemi Alabi
Title of Projects/Products:
- Andrea Mota*, Alondra Rodriguez, Cecilia Villegas, Olufemi J. Alabi. Investigation of a Severe Virus-like Disease Outbreak in a Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) Field.
Where I am now:
I graduated from UTRGV in December 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. I am in my second year Post-Baccalaureate at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland through an intramural research training award. EFAS played a crucial role in my professional development, as it provided me with a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere to gain research experience, guidance and mentorship throughout my undergraduate career and it undoubtedly provided me with the skills necessary to succeed and secure other research opportunities. Thanks to my experience in the EFAS program, I was then able to obtain numerous highly competitive scholarships, among some of them: Training, research, and education in soil science (TRESS) fellowship, a research experience for undergraduates 10-week summer program with the agriculture department at Texas A&M university, and more recently, the research training award at the NIH.
As the first in my family to pursue higher education, I was unaware of the many opportunities available, nor could I fathom that someone from my background could pursue a career in STEM. EFAS allows for recruitment and development of students from underrepresented backgrounds like me and helps us gain the skills for us to be successful and thrive both academically and professionally. I am now preparing to apply to Microbiology PhD programs.